Can-body-forming machine.



No. 704,|73. Patented luly 8, |902.

W. S. CASE.

GAN BODY FURMINE MACHINE.

(Application led Dec. 12, 1901.) (No Model.) 2.Sheets-Sheet I.

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(Application filed De 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IVILMER S. CASE, OF l'IAYVVARDS, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOSEPH II. HUNT, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

CAN-BODY-FORMING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. '704,17 3, dated July 8, 1902.

Application filed December l2, 1901. Serial No. 85,582. (No modelJ ,To all whom, t may concern: plate and beneath the flat metal sheet that is Be it known that I, WILMER S. OASE, a citito be placed upon the plate and from which zen of the United States, residing at Haythe can-body is to be formed. Integral with wards, county of Alameda, State of California, but beneath each pla'te and between the meln- 55 5 have invented an Improvement in Can-Bodybers of each pair of hook-arms is an extension Forming Machines; and I hereby declare the 11, provided with the vertical guides 12, in

following to bea full, clear, and exact descripwhich the blocks 13 are slidable. A link 14 tion of the same. is pivoted to each block and to a correspond- My invention relates to improvements in ing arm, so that by raising the blocks of any 6o io machines for forming the bodies of cans. set ofarms thelatter are alsolifted and folded.

My invention consists of the parts and the Each block is movable independently of the constructions, arrangements, and combinaother, so that one arm may be foldedin adtions of parts which I will hereinafter de- Vance of its companion, the purpose of which scribe, and point out in the claims. is to cause the edges of the tin to be properly 65 15 Figure 1 is a side elevation of my machine, lapped. The blocks are provided with rolla portion of the frame being cut away. Fig. ers 15, andthe operation ofthe arms is effected 2 is a cross-section online x .50, Fig. 1, looking by the engagement of these rollers with the toward the right. Fig. 3 is a plan view ofthe cam-surfaces 16, as will be described later. horn and one of the links of the conveyer. Each plate Sis provided on its upper surface 7o 2o Fig. 4 shows sections through the upper porwith the lateral ilanges 17. The top of the tion of the horn corresponding with lines I I, plate and the lower edge of these flanges are II II, III III, IV IV, V V of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is joined by short inclined surfaces 1S. a side elevation of the horn, showing taper of By suitable means a perfectly flat sheet of its upper surface and line of bottom of the tin or other metal'from which the can-body 75 z5 seaming-groove. is to be formed is placed upon a plate 3, the

A represents a suitable frame or support edges to be united lying upon the inclines 18 for my machine. At either end of this supof the plate and against the flanges 17. As port are the drums 2, around which passes the conveyer moves forward the sheet is an endless conveyer. The links forming the brought beneath the rollers 19, suitably dis- 8o 3o conveyer consist of plates 3, pivotally conposed above the conveyer, and fixed upon a joined, as at 4:. The ends of these pivots carry shaft 20, jou rnaled in the frame. These rollrollers 5, which travel in the guides 6 and ers have their peripheries beveled to corremaintain the carrier in a horizontal line bespond to the inclines 18. The effect of the tween the drums. The plates are of sufficient sheet passing beneath these rollers and of the 85 5 5 size as to take and carry the metal sheet from sheet being subjected to the pressure thereof which the can-body is to be formed. These is to bend slightly the edges of the sheet, so plates are slotted, as at '7, Vand in these slots that when thelatter is folded around the horn, the curved arms 8 operate at right angles to as we shall shortly see, these bent portions the direction of travel of the conveyer. The lie essentially tangential to the arc of the pe- 9o 4o arms are pivotedcentrally of these slots, as riphery of the can-body. As a plate with its at 9, and are adapted to fold up and inclose sheet in place passes from beneath the rollthe horn or form 10 in a manner to be deers 19 or preliminarycrimpers, the rollers 15 scribed later. The horn 10 consists of a cylcome upon the cam-surfaces 16. These latinder disposed above and parallel and just ter, however, are so disposed and differently 95 a5 out of contact with the upper plane of the pitched that one of these rollers, with its corconvcyer. At the forward end it is supported responding arm, will be raised slightly in adby means of the bracket d, and the rear end Vance of the other roller and arm, so that the is supported on the rollers a in such manner first arm will lie flat against the horn before that can-bodiesmay be freely pushed along the other arm has finished its movement. ioo

5o and off of the horn. The arms Sare adapted The reason of this is obvious from the fact normally to lie beneath the surface of the that if both were brought up together-the two edges of the sheet which are intended to overlap would strike each other and be buckled or otherwise injured. A bar or wearing-plate 2 is removably secured along the length of the upper surface of the horn in such manner that its surface is substantially flush with the periphery ofv the horn except as hereinafter stated. Along the upper surface of the plate is formed a longitudinal seaming-groove 21, which varies in shape between its ends in a manner shortly to be pointed out. For a portion of the length of the horn this groove is V-shaped, with the axis of the V substantially perpendicular.

The process of forming the can-body by the means herein employed may be considered for convenience to cover six steps, one gradually merging into the other. The first step was bending the edges of the sheet by the rollers 19. The second step was the folding of the arms, by which the sheet was pressed around the form or horn l0. The action of the rollers 19 allowed the edges of the sheet to lie perfectly fiat upon one another when the sheet was so folded, the horn having a shallow depression 22 adjacent to the groove toaccommodatetheundermostedge. rThe advancement of the sheet or body, as it may now be termed, along the horn is accomplished by means of projections 23 on the plate engaging the rear end of the can-body and said projections moving in corresponding guidegrooves 24 on the horn. The can is engaged on the upper surface of the horn by similar projections 25 on the hook-arms 8, and said projections are movable in corresponding guide-grooves 27. These latter grooves are fiared, as shown at 27a, at either end of the horn to permit the proper entry and release of the projections 25. is approximately equal to the height of a can to be formed, so that the latter is held at all points tightly and evenly against the horn. By means of the projections 23 and 25 the can is readily pushed along over the horn. After the sheet is bent about the horn and given the desired can-body form it is carried, by means of the hook-arms, under a roller 28, having a V-shaped or beveled tread and extending into the groove 2l and acting to press the lapped edges of the can into the groove. This constitutes the third step. The fourth and fifth steps pertain to the drawingin and the turning of these bent edges over upon the inside of the can. This is done by gradually contracting the groove-opening, as shown in section III, Fig. 4, and. then causing the line of the bottom of the groove to approach gradually the surface of the horn, the groove all the time maintaining the same depth and the opening of the groove serving as an axial line about which the line of the bottom has assumed a segment of a spiral. As indicated in Fig. 4, sections I and II, corresponding to the second and third steps, the groove is a V shape. In the next step (III) the opening of the V has gradually contracted till the walls The Width of the arms are nearly perpendicular. The spiral character of the groove is indicated by section IV. During this part of the operation the can travels beneath the pressure-plate 29, whereby the can is held tight against the horn and the seam prevented from creeping out of the groove. The plate may be resiliently supported by means of the springs 30, by which the plate can readily adapt itself to any variation in the thickness of the lapped edges of the can. groove assumes the form of a channel 21a, with gradually-diverging sides and growing shallower toward the rear end of the horn. The seam While undergoing turning in the fourth and fifth steps is gradually being compressed beneath the plate 29 and passes thence under the roller 3l for the sixth and concluding step of finishing or completing the rolling of the seam. The bar or plate 32, containing the seaming-groove, is removably secured to the horn, as in a dovetailed mortise 33. This is for the purpose of rendering convenient and economical the replacement or renewal of the parts in case the Walls of the seaminggroove become unduly worn; otherwise the seaming-groove might be formed in the horn itself. In order to compensate for the gradual contraction of the groove from the form shown in sections I and II, Fig. 4, to that indicated by III, Fig. 4, or, what amounts to the same thing, the decreasing diameter of the can as its outer lapped edges are drawn together, the perimeter of the horn must be correspondingly reduced. 'Ihis is most conveniently effected by tapering the surface of the plate, so that from a point indicated approximately by sectional line III III, Fig. 3, or b, Fig. 5, where it is fiush, it is gradually though almost imperceptibly inclined upward toward the head of the horn. From point Z) and through the succeeding steps the horn corresponds to the size of the finished can-bodies. Passing beneath the roller 3l the process of seaming is completed and the bodies are delivered over the end of the horn ready for the soldering-machine.

It is understood that oval or polygonal canbodies may also be made by this machine, simply using a horn to conform to the shape of can desired and providing corresponding hook-arms, the principle in all cases being essentially the same.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is-

l. The combination in a can-body-forming machine of a horn about which the can is formed, a channel made longitudinally in the horn, clamps, or jaws and devices for opening and closing them about the horn, means for holding the metal sheet within the jaws and bending it about the horn with the edges overlapping and crossing the channel, and a folding edge depending into the channel, beneath which the overlapping edges of the blank are carried and folded into the channel.

In the fifth and sixth steps the` IIO 2. In a can-body-forming machine an endless traveling carrier, said carrier consisting of a series of iieXibly-connected tables, with surfaces adapted to receive the blanks, folding-clamps centrally pivoted beneath the upper surface of the tables, open channels formed in the tables in line above the clamps, mechanism by which the clamps are closed about their pivots, and a stationary horn about which the blanks are folded by the clamps.

3. The combination in a can-body-forming machine of an endless traveling carrier composed of a series of flexibly-connected channeled tables having surfaces adapted to receive the blanks and upturned ledges at the sides withinclined surfaces between said ledges and the fiat central portion of the table, rollers with the peripheries beveled to travel upon said inclines, a horn located above the line of travel of the tables, clamps centrally hinged beneath the upper surface of each table and mechanism by which the clamps are closed to fold the blank about the horn.

4. The combination in a can-body-forming machine of a series of lexibly-connected channeled tables with inclined edges and upturned guides to receive the blanks, rollers having the peripheries beveled to bend the edges of the blanks between said rollers and the inclines, a horn located above and in the line of travel of the tables, clamps hinged beneath the upper surface of the tables, and mechanism by which they are actuated to fold the blanks about the horn, a longitudinal groove in the top of the horn over which the edges of the blank are lapped, and a folding device beneath which said overlapping edges are passed and by which they are bent into the groove.

5. The combination in acan-body-forming machine of an endless traveling carrier cornposed of a series of flexibly-connected opencentered tables adapted to receive the blanks, a horn located above the line of travel of the carrier, folding jaws or clamps centrally hinged below the upper surface of each table, vertically-guided slidable blocks, links connecting said blocks with the jaws, and stationary inclines over which the blocks pass during the forward movement of the carriers and by which the jaws are closed.

G. The combination in a can-body-forming machine of an endless traveling carrier composed of a series of flexibly-connected opencentered tables adapted to receive and carry the blanks, folding jaws or clamps centrally hinged below the upper surface of the tables, a horn located above the line of travel of the carrier, verticallyguidedindependently-slidable blocks, links connecting each of said blocks with one of the jaws, and inclined surfaces of different pitch, over which the jawactuating blocks move whereby the jaws are closed successively.

.7. The combination in acan-body-forming machine of an endless traveling carrier composed of flexibly-connected tables,` adapted to receive and advance the blanks, centrallyhinged jaws or clamps on each table, a horn located above the line of travel ofthe carrier with a longitudinal groove upon the upper side, having a shallow depression upon one side of said groove, vertically-guided slides connected with the folding-jaws, and cams or inclines of dierent pitch over which the slides pass, whereby one jaw moves in advance of the other to fold one edge of the blank across the groove and into the depression of the horn, with the succeeding edge overlapping said first edge.

8. The combination in a can-body-forming machine of an endless traveling carrier com-= posed of flexibly-connected tables adapted to receive and advance the blanks, a horn located above the line of travel of the carrier having a groove made in its upper surface, and a shallow depression made upon one side of said groove, folding-jaws centrally hinged beneath the upper surface of each table, mechanism whereby said jaws are actuated, one in advance of the other whereby one edge of the blank is folded across the groove into the depression of the horn, and the other edge is folded above the first one, and just above the groove, and a wheel or folder located above the groove and acting to bend the overlapping edges of the blanks into the groove as they pass beneath the folder.

9. The combination in a can-body-forming machine of an endless traveling carrier composed of iexibly-connected tables adapted to receive and advance the blanks, curved jaws centrally hinged beneath the upper surface of the tables, mechanism by which said jaws are closed, one in advance of the other, a horn 1ocated above the line of travel of the carrier about which horn the blank is closed by the' jaws, said horn having a groove longitudinal upon its upper side with a depression at one side of the groove whereby one edge of the blank is carried across the groove to lie in the depression, and the other edge is laid upon the first-named portion and above the groove, and a'roller journaled above the groove with its edge adapted to bend the overlapping edges into the groove and form a double bend of the inner fold, and a single bend of the outer one embraced by the two sides of the inner fold.

l0. The combination inacambody-forming machine of an endless traveling carrier composed of flexibly-connected tables adapted to receive and advance the blanks, a horn located above the line of travel of the carrier having a groove formed in its upper side, the first portion of said groove being essentially radial to the axis of the horn and the subsequent portion being gradually turned in a spiral manner until it is brought to the surface as shown, jaws hinged to each of the tables, mechanism by which said jaws are moved to fold the blank about the horn with ICO one of its edges in advance of the other, and overlapping the groove on the upper side of the horn and the other edge laid above said groove, a wheel journaled above and adapted to fold the overlapping edges into the groove of the horn so that the double bend of one edge incloses the single bend of the other, projections upon the table and upon the folding-jaws, channels formed in the sides of the horn into which the projections enter whereby the advance of the carrier and jaws impels the folded blank along the horn and causes the interlocked edges to follow the changing direction of the groove into which they are folded.

ll. Thecombinationinacan-body-forming machine of an endless traveling carrier composed of iieXibly-connected tables adapted to receive the blanks from which the body is to be formed, a horn located above the line of travel of the carrier having a groove formed in its upper side, the first portion of said groove being essentially radial to the axis of the horn,and the subsequent portions being gradually turned in a spiral manner so that the bottom of the groove finally arrives at the surface of the horn, clamps or jaws hinged centrally to each table, mechanism by which the jaws are closed as the tables advance and the blank is folded about the horn with one edge crossing the groove and the other overlapping it and terminating in line above the groove, a Wheel jour'naled above the groove adapted to press the overlapping edges of the blank into the groove so that the inner edge has a double bend inclosing the single bend of the outer edge, lugs projecting from the table and from the folding-arms so as to contact with the rear edge of the blank when folded, channels made in the horn in the line of travel of the lugs whereby the folded blank is evenly advanced from one end to the other of the horn.

l2. The combination in a can-body-forming machine of an endless traveling carrier composed of ieXiblyconnected tables adapted to receive and advance the blanks, jaws hinged beneath the upper surface of said tables,mech anism by which said jaws are closed and a blank folded during the forward movement of the carrier, a horn located above the carrier having a groove in its top about which horn the jaws fold the blank with one edge in advance of the other and overlapping the groove, a wheel journaled above the horn so that its periphery acts to bend the overlapping edges of the blank into the groove, and a pressure plate or bar beneath which the partially-united edges pass after leaving the roller.

13. The combination in a canbodyforming machine of an endless traveling carrier composed of flexibly-connected tables adapted to receive and advance the blanks, jaws hinged beneath the upper surface of said tables, mech anism by which said jaws are closed and a blank folded during the forward movement of the carrier, a horn located above the carrier, having a groove in its top about which horn'the jaws fold the blank, with one edge in advance of the other and overlapping the groove, a wheel journaled above the horn so that its periphery acts to bend the 4overlapping edges of the blank into the groove, a pressure plate or bar beneath which the partiallyunited edges pass after leaving the roller, and a roller journaled above the terminal end of the groove whereby the interlocked seam is compressed and finished.

In witness whereof I havehereunto set my hand.

VILMER S. CASE.

lfVitnesses:

S. H. NoURsE, JussIEv C. BRODIE. 

